Becker v. Mayo Foundation
Minnesota Supreme Court
737 N.W.2d 200 (2007)
- Written by Rich Walter, JD
Facts
Mayo Foundation (Mayo) (defendant) hospital staffers suspected that the newborn girl they treated twice for serious injuries had been abused by her biological parents. The staffers did not report their suspicions until the girl was hospitalized again, this time for injuries that left the girl permanently disabled. The state successfully prosecuted the biological parents for child abuse and placed the girl in the foster care of Nancy and Michael Becker (plaintiffs), who eventually adopted the girl. The Beckers sued Mayo for damages, arguing that Minnesota’s criminal code obligated the hospital staffers to report their suspicions of child abuse. The trial court excluded expert testimony that Mayo’s treatment of the girl failed to meet the medical profession’s minimal standards for protecting children from suspected abuse. The jury returned its verdict for Mayo, and the Beckers appealed to the Minnesota Supreme Court.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Anderson, J.)
What to do next…
Here's why 811,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
- Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,300 briefs, keyed to 988 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
- The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
- Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
- Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.